If you’ve been following along, you might have noticed that we’ve been focusing our attention on the Summer Olympics. The Summer Games only come around once every four years, and this year the Games are being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Even though BJJ is not currently an Olympic Sport, there are other martial arts competitions where athletes can earn a gold medal. In our last two posts, we gave you an introduction to martial arts at the Olympics, and we highlighted Olympic Judo and Taekwondo. Today we are going to cover Olympic Boxing and Fencing! If you are searching for an alternative to boxing classes in Raleigh NC, consider calling Gracie! If you like boxing then you’ll love our MMA and muay thai classes.
Highlighting Olympic Boxing and Fencing
Olympic Boxing
Boxing is one of the longest running competitions held at the Olympics. It’s been around since the 7th century BC. However, it wasn’t included in the modern games until the 1904 games held in St. Louis, Missouri. The sport was deemed to be too dangerous for the previous games that were held in Athens, Greece. Since then, boxing has been included in almost every single Summer Olympic Games with the exception of 1912, 1916 (canceled for WW1), and the Games of 1940 and 1944 due to WW2.
Men’s Boxing Weight Classes
- 46 – 49 kg (Light Fly weight)
- Up to 52 kg (Fly weight)
- Up to 56 kg (Bantam weight)
- Up to 60 kg (Light weight)
- Up to 64 kg (Light Welter weight)
- Up to 69 kg (Welter weight)
- Up to 75 kg (Middle weight)
- Up to 81 kg (Light Heavy weight)
- Up to 91 kg (Heavy weight)
- + 91kg (super heavyweight)
Women’s Boxing Weight Classes
- 48 to 51 kg (Fly weight)
- 57 to 60 kg (Light weight)
- 69 to 75 kg (Middle weight)
Olympic Fencing
Fencing has been an Olympic sport since the 1896 Athens, Greece games where both individuals and teams competed for gold medals. Women’s fencing wasn’t really introduced until the 1992 games. However, a few women’s events were sporadically held from 1924 and up.
Be sure to go back and read the other posts in this series. They contain fun and interesting facts about how integral Martial Arts is for the Summer Olympic Games.
Don’t miss our final post of this series. We will be discussing Olympic Greco and Freestyle Wrestling. If you have further questions about how you can get fit, please keep reading!
Searching for Affordable Boxing Classes in Raleigh NC? Try Muay Thai at Gracie Instead!
At Gracie Raleigh we do not teach standard boxing classes in Raleigh NC! However, we can train you in self defense, BJJ, and muay thai. We offer a superior martial arts program that will teach you the most effective ways to use your punches, kicks, knees and elbows for self defense against any size attacker. Come ready and be prepared to get a great workout! Even better, at Gracie Raleigh we even offer free martial arts classes so you can try before you make a commitment to join our gym.
Click here to go ahead and get started with our free martial arts classes in Raleigh! If you have more questions, please call or email us!